


friends in low places

by icarusian



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Animal Rescue, M/M, Zine: Spark of Hope (Promare)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25145782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarusian/pseuds/icarusian
Summary: A last-minute call lands Galo rescuing an unexpected friend that might be a little closer to home than he thought. Luckily, Lio taught him home is where the heart is.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 13
Kudos: 54





	friends in low places

**Author's Note:**

> my piece for the spark of hope zine! it was a beautiful PDF charity zine that donated to help the bushfires in australia back in january. i had a lot of fun writing this silly little fic, so i hope you enjoy it!

Galo doesn’t mind working late. Fires and emergencies don’t sleep, and adjusting his schedule accordingly is just part of the job.

So when a call comes in twenty minutes before Galo is supposed to go home to his and Lio’s shared apartment, he easily takes up the job, reassuring Ignis that he and Varys will take care of it, _go home already, Chief!_

 _Last-minute call, animals stuck in a drainage pipe. Be home late, don’t wait up!_ Galo sends on the way there, followed by a flexing arm emoji.

 _don’t do anything too stupid,_ comes seconds later.

“We’re almost there, rookie. Stop textin’ your boyfriend,” Varys teases, noticing the way Galo peers dopily at the words lighting up his screen and smile.

“Yes sir,” Galo concedes, chuckling to himself and not bothering to correct him. He carries that warm wish of _be safe_ with him as he steps out into the cool air.

He’s still not used to it; putting even a modicum of his own safety in his periphery because he has something to live for, _someone_ to come home to is so different from the reckless abandon with which he regularly injured himself. Galo would die a martyr and go out in a blaze of glory if it meant saving just one more life, but it’s grounding to have Lio remind him, oftentimes with veiled concern, that he can always help twice as many more if he takes care of himself.

( _“But I looked cool crashing through that window at the end, right?”_

 _“Yeah, your new sling just screams ‘hero,’” Lio had chuffed, signing the fabric anyway._ )

“The drainage pipe is just over here,” Varys directs, flicking on his flashlight.

“Neighbor said she heard barking coming from it while walking her dog, so it’s probably a stray that got stuck,” Galo responds, crouching down and peering in. “Puppy, Galo Thymos is here to rescue you!” he calls.

“Don’t scare it off, dumbass!” Varys admonishes, crouching with him. “Oh, I hear it whining. Galo, grab the drainage camera, we need to see how deep it is…”

⁂

Two hours and several methods of coaxing later, they finally have a muddy, shivering canine wrapped up in a soft towel and cradled against Galo’s chest as they carry it to the truck.

“He seems to like you,” Varys comments as the animal struggles to stay in Galo’s arms. Galo sure hopes so, considering how many treats and sweet words he offered to it.

“You think so?” Galo says, gently placing it in the cage. It whines and scrambles forward, instinctively rushing to return to the safe haven of Galo’s warm embrace. “You’re doing great, puppy! The vets’ll get you all taken care of tomorrow, and then I’ll come visit you. Promise,” Galo hushes, locking the cage and pushing one last treat through the thin bars. It’s still shaky, but it doesn’t shy away, accepting the gift and ultimately laying down. He thinks of Lio, abrasive and always with one of them caged when they first met, but the mutual understanding and comfort they’ve settled into was borne of countless hours spent talking and fighting and building _trust._

Galo’s heart skips a beat, then, looking at this vulnerable creature that’s come to trust him in such a short time.

The ride back to the station isn’t long, but Galo’s uncharacteristic silence doesn’t go unnoticed.

“You okay?” Varys asks.

“Hmm? Yeah, just worried about Sparky.”

“Who—? Oh, the dog. He’s a trooper, I’ll give him that. Don’t worry, rookie, I’m sure they’ll take care of him and he’ll be adopted in no time,” Varys reassures, pulling up to the station.

“Thanks, Varys. Good work today!” he calls as Varys steps out of the truck.

“Are you sure you can take it from here?” Varys asks, cautious.

“Is my name Galo Thymos?”

“Just lock up when you’re done!”

Galo bids Varys a goodnight and texts Lio he’s alive before changing and getting ready to close down the station. _Lights off, paperwork done, doors locked…_

“I guess all that’s left to do now is to take you to the animal hospital, huh Sparky?” Galo asks it, bringing the kennel up front with him. The dog looks up at him, eyes wide and head down, something of a scowl on its face. _Cute_ , Galo thinks, another face coming to mind.

His hand moves automatically, fingers coming up to the cage with two slipping in to rub at the mud-caked fur of its head. He _knows_ he could get bitten, and then have to get treated for rabies or other diseases, but his gut is telling him that it’s okay to trust Sparky, just like Sparky will trust him. The dog flinches away at first, but after a moment it easily nudges Galo’s fingers, obviously egging on a more thorough petting.

“You know, when you tried snapping at me in that drain, I thought you would never like me,” Galo laughs, scritching a little bit behind its ear. He can’t do much with how narrow the gaps in the grate are, but Sparky just nuzzles at him anyways, making strange chattering sounds.

“You sure you’re not a cat?” he laughs again, a little bewildered. “Man, I wish you could meet Lio. You two are pretty alike.” Galo thinks of sharp edges and scornful words, fierce loyalty and tender gazes. He looks once more at Sparky and is reminded of piercing eyes, silk hair, and a cutting voice.

The dog looks up at him once more, dusty whiskers twitching. _Maybe I can meet Lio_ , its golden, slit eyes seem to say.

Galo suddenly remembers he has Dawn dish soap at home.

He pulls out of the station and makes a left for home, and _really_ hopes Lio didn’t wait up for him.

⁂

The apartment is still, which is a relief in and of itself. The only light still on is the small bulb above their sink, kept on ever since Lio stubbed his toe on their dining room table. All it took was one bar crawl until two in the morning for Lio to enforce that rule, constantly murmuring about no longer having a mini flashlight at his fingertips.

He arms the bathroom— animal-safe dish soap, towels on every possible surface, thick gloves, and a first aid kit— and makes one final stop before he gets to work.

Lio’s fast asleep in their room, nightlight painting the walls a dim white, both blankets curled tightly around his small frame. _Kinda reminds me of Sparky,_ he thinks, remembering the tight ball it rolled itself into after they finally got it out of the pipe and into a towel.

“Alright Sparky,” Galo says, plopping in front of the dog’s cage, “time to meet the firehose.”

⁂

As sure as Galo’s alarm goes off every morning at 5:15, Lio knows he will not wake up alone. At this point in their time together, Lio doesn’t even have to open his eyes to know who that familiar scent and those strong, comforting muscles belong to.

Lio has never had reason to doubt this constant in his new life, which is probably why he shoots up, wide awake after blindly reaching for Galo’s warm body and something warm, wet, and sandpapery _licks him._

Bright gold eyes stare up at him, transfixed, almost challenging him in a way. Its ears are pointed up like a cat’s, but its muzzle is long and tilted like that of a dog. Lio is frozen and perplexed, a million thoughts racing through his mind— it got in through their open window, it’s loose from the zoo, someone planted a rabid animal in their apartment in an attempt to kill them both—

And then it opens its mouth and _screams._

 _“Galo Thymos!”_ Lio shrieks, scrambling off the bed.

“What’s up?” Galo asks nonchalantly, popping his freshly-showered head in from the hall.

“Am I the only one seeing the _wild fox_ in our bed?” Lio hisses, heart pounding. He’s supposed to wake up feeling grateful that Galo made it out unharmed yet again, not thinking the guy got himself turned into an animal.

“That’s Sparky, the dog I rescued last night! He’s getting his shots today, don’t worry,” Galo says, not entirely understanding why Lio is still cowering in the corner.

“Galo,” Lio starts, finally standing up once Galo scoops up the animal, “You can’t just adopt every animal you rescue. Remember when I saved my first cat? And then the next one, and the one after that? We’re not a shelter,” Lio says, thinking of how Galo gave him the kicked puppy look on all three occasions.

“But I promise I’ll take care of him! We’ve got a connection, I couldn’t just ignore it.” Galo then lets Sparky smell his hand before running it down its fluffy red fur, an obvious sign of trust that drops Lio’s jaw.

“A connection,” Lio repeats, disbelief coloring his words. He steps closer, more curious than bewildered. “How do you know you have a _connection_ with a fox?” Galo is now scratching its pointed ears and smiling softly down at the creature.  
  
“Dog,” Galo corrects. “And I just do. It’s the same thing I felt with you,” he says easily, gaze flicking up to welcome Lio with a teasing smile, childish joy in his still-sleepy eyes.

 _I couldn’t just ignore it_. Galo takes everything and nothing lightly, and always, _always_ trusts his gut. Lio watches as Galo talks back to the chattering fox— Sparky— and gets more noise in return.

_It’s the same thing I felt with you._

“If you say so, dog-whisperer,” Lio sighs. The veterinarian can correct him on that one. “But you’re paying for him.”

“Yes, sir!”

⁂

_Working late tonight. Don’t wait up!_

_[New image!]_ Galo curiously opens the message to see a relaxed shot of Lio on their couch, a bushy fox tail brushing just under his chin, his relaxed smile infectious.

_we’re going to bed soon. don’t do anything too stupid._

**Author's Note:**

> haha nooo don't bring home the feral fox you rescued from a drainage pipe you're so fine
> 
> thank you for reading! come hang out with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/icarosian)


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